That’s the conclusion of a new report scheduled for release Friday by a blue-ribbon state commission made up of business leaders, government officials and park experts.

The California Parks Forward Commission says the parks system can be fixed but that a dedicated source of new funding must be found. But first, the state parks department has to rebuild public confidence three years after Gov. Jerry Brown and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger before him threatened to close dozens of parks to save money — and former parks director Ruth Coleman resigned after auditors found her staff had not reported millions of dollars sitting in accounts to state finance officials.

“It’s extremely important to have sustainable funding,” said Dr. Stephen Lockhart, chief medical officer for Sutter Health and one of the 12 commissioners who worked 18 months on the recommendations.

“But we’re trying to rebuild trust and transparency with the public first. We feel the responsible approach is to go in and do the hard work and then come back and say this is what we need.”

The commission, created by a law Brown signed in 2012, was intended to set new direction for the beloved — but increasingly troubled — system of 279 parks spread over 1.6 million acres. The system includes everything from Lake Tahoe shoreline to Hearst Castle to Sutter’s Mill, where the Gold Rush began in 1848.

Its key recommendations:

• Establishing a new permanent funding source so parks are not reliant on the ups and downs of the state general fund. In the late 1970s, before Proposition 13 limited property-tax increases, 90 percent of the parks budget came from the general fund. This year, only 24 percent — $124 million of the $502 million budget — came from the general fund. That shift has meant relentless increases in camping fees and entrance fees, while subjecting hikers, campers and other parks users to closures and crumbling facilities during years when money is extra tight.

• The report did not choose a funding source. But a consulting firm working with the commission issued a report last March that identified six potential sources used in other states. They include a vehicle license fee, such as the $6 fee that funds Montana state parks, or a sales tax increase, such as the eighth-of-a-cent tax that funds Arkansas parks, or a possible hotel tax or other fee. New taxes could prove difficult, however, and would require a two-thirds vote by state lawmakers or voters. In 2010, voters rejected Proposition 21, which would have imposed an annual $18 surcharge on vehicle licenses to raise $500 million a year for state parks, doubling the agency’s budget.

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• Working harder to hire Latinos and members of other ethnic groups as rangers and parks managers, as well as improving dramatically outreach to diverse communities to build public support as the state’s demographics change.

• Modernizing parks so that all parks take credit cards and ATM cards, in addition to using interactive websites and other digital tools to show people the wonders of the parks, particularly young people.

• Creating a new statewide nonprofit group, called “Parks California,” to raise millions of dollars from foundations and individual donors to fund parks projects, similar to the Golden Gate Parks Conservancy or the Central Park Conservancy.

John Laird, California’s resources secretary, said he agrees with the commission’s conclusions and already has put in place a 15-member team to prioritize them.

“The parks department bottomed out in the middle of 2012,” Laird said. “We went through a number of audits and investigations and changes of leadership. We have turned the corner, but we have to re-establish the confidence of the public. We have a department that has been operating for a century. It’s always helpful to have renewal.”

Republicans who have seen the report say they agree that the department needs to be reorganized and more accountable. Until recently, for example, the state parks department could not tell lawmakers or donors how much it cost to operate each individual parks unit.

“We need to fix the bureaucracy once and for all inside state parks so that they can use outside funding and foundation moneys to keep our parks open, protect the parks we have and expand into urban areas,” said Assemblyman Brian Dahle, R-Redding, vice chairman of the Assembly Natural Resources Committee.